The present invention relates to a method of increasing egg production in turkeys and other Avian species and, more particularity, to carrying out such a method with active immunization against vasoactive intestinal peptide.
Turkeys are selected mainly for body size instead of reproductive performance, which declines with an increase in body size. As a result, reproductive efficiency of turkeys is low. Turkey hens generally lay about 73-110 eggs per hen over a 30-week production period or "season".
Egg production may also be influenced by the general management of breeder flocks and the ability of farm managers to identify and treat broody hens. A broody hen may be described as a hen which has the tendency to nest or incubate their eggs after 10-15 eggs are laid and terminates egg laying activities. Broody turkeys seldom start laying again even after their broodiness has been terminated. Broody behavior is undesirable in the turkey industry because it results in a decreased number of young turkeys hatched per hen.